- Luay Hussein Moh’d is a Jordanian entrepreneur who is developing an app to connect patients with pharmacies, to simplify the process of locating medicines.
- He participated in the UNITAR Great Ideas Space 2022: Entrepreneurship for Public Health and COVID-19 Recovery programme, where he built fundamental skills and gained knowledge to ensure the success of his project.
UNITAR
28 August 2024, Hiroshima, Japan - Luay Hussein Moh’d is a Jordanian entrepreneur who wants to create positive change. With over 23 years of experience in the IT field – from programming and project management to quality management – Luay understands how leveraging technology can solve real-life issues. He took part in the UNITAR Great Ideas Space 2022: Entrepreneurship for Public Health and COVID-19 Recovery programme to develop his project: an app to connect patients to pharmacies to improve access to medicines.
Jordan, the Arab World Tech Hub
UNITAR
Jordan has established itself as an important tech hub in the Arab world, earning the name “Silicon Valley of the Middle East”. The country’s ideal environment has given rise to numerous entrepreneurs who are harnessing the power of innovation to tackle significant challenges, particularly in the healthcare system.
One gap in Jordan’s healthcare system that caught Luay’s attention was the cumbersome process patients go through to find specific medicines after seeing a doctor.
Usually, after you visit the doctor, you are very tired. [But] you start going from one pharmacy to another to find the medicine.” – Luay Hussein Moh’d (Jordan), UNITAR alumnus
To solve this issue, Luay came up with the idea to develop an app that connects patients with pharmacies, ensuring they can quickly and efficiently locate the required medications. Patients can upload their prescriptions or look up medicines, and the app will provide a list of nearby pharmacies that stock those medicines, along with the price and insurance coverage information.
Through this initiative, Luay hopes to not only reduce the stress and time involved in finding medications but also to take advantage of Jordan’s strength in software development to address an important healthcare gap.
Embarking on a New Adventure: The UNITAR Great Ideas Space Programme
UNITAR
With this intention in mind, Luay’s interest was caught by the UNITAR Great Ideas Space 2022: Entrepreneurship for Public Health and COVID-19 Recovery programme. The programme, funded by the Government and People of Japan, aimed at fostering entrepreneurship by guiding participants in transforming their ideas into successful business projects. Luay saw in the programme an opportunity to further develop and refine his project. He applied and was quickly accepted.
The initial phases of the programme were delivered online through webinars and an e-learning platform, which provided foundational knowledge and resources to the learners. Luay says the material struck a good balance between being comprehensive and easy to apply, which he found particularly important for new entrepreneurs like himself.
Very good tips were given by the trainers so that we can optimize and increase the chances of the project succeeding.”– Luay Hussein Moh’d (Jordan), UNITAR alumnus
Thanks to his good performance during the first phases, Luay was invited to Hiroshima, Japan, as part of the 16 learners into the final phase. Transitioning from online learning to an in-person experience in Hiroshima gave Luay the opportunity to meet and exchange ideas with the resource persons as well as his course mates. These interactions provided him with valuable inputs to improve his project.
Beyond the classroom setting, the UNITAR programme also offered cultural activities and study tours. One of the most memorable activity for Luay was visiting the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, which he described as “touching” and “unforgettable”.
Empowering Entrepreneurs to Unlock their Full Potential
We all should work together so that we can reach a better world!”– Luay Hussein Moh’d (Jordan), UNITAR alumnus
Luay found that the UNITAR training provided him with a strong basis to develop and manage his project. It cultivated in him a business-oriented mindset by teaching him to actively look for solutions, experiment and adapt to the ever-changing world. The programme also helped promote collaborative efforts to achieve shared goals.
Continuing his journey, Luay remains committed to his project, drawing on what he learned throughout his training. He extends his gratitude to the Government and People of Japan for their support in providing such opportunities to entrepreneurs like himself.
United Nations Online Volunteer Amali Karawita contributed to this article.
About Unitar
The United Nations Institute for Training and Research (UNITAR) is a dedicated training arm of the United Nations. In 2022, UNITAR trained over 395,000 learners around the world to support their actions for a better future. In addition to our headquarters in Geneva, we have offices in Hiroshima, New York and Bonn and networks around the world.
The Division for Prosperity is based in the Hiroshima Office and Geneva. We seek to shape an inclusive, sustainable and prosperous world through world-class learning and knowledge-sharing services on entrepreneurship, leadership, finance and trade, digital technologies, and nuclear disarmament and non-proliferation. We empower individuals from least-developed countries, countries emerging from conflict, and small-island developing states – especially women and young people – to bring about positive change.